Switzerland has dumped ammunition in its lakes. Now it is offering $57,000 for the best ideas to get rid of it
CNN
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The Swiss authorities have announced a competition to collect ideas for recovering old ammunition from the depths of the idyllic Swiss lakes.
The top three entries will share a prize pool worth 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800), according to a statement released earlier this month by the Federal Office for Armaments Procurement (Armasuisse).
Although the winning ideas will not be implemented immediately, they could form the basis for future research into how to deal with the issue of underwater munitions, the statement said.
Between 1918 and 1964, surplus, faulty or obsolete ammunition was sunk in several lakes, including Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Lucerne.
According to Armasuisse, they were buried between 150 and 220 meters (492 and 722 feet) below the surface.
“By launching an ideas competition, armasuisse wants to involve science and industry more in the consideration of how deep-sea munitions could be recovered in an environmentally friendly and safe manner, should this ever become an issue,” the statement said.
“This could be the case if, contrary to expectations, pollutant emissions from underwater munitions are detected during ongoing seawater monitoring.”
An assessment of possible recovery methods in 2005 “showed that all proposed solutions for munitions recovery available at the time would have led to massive mud churning and high risks for the lake’s sensitive ecosystem,” the statement said.
Other challenges include poor visibility, risk of explosion, water depth, currents, and the condition, size and weight of the munitions, some of which weigh up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds).
What makes matters worse is that certain components are made of non-magnetic copper, brass or aluminum, says Armasuisse.
“All of these factors pose major challenges for environmentally sound ammunition recovery,” the statement continues.
The competition runs until February 6, 2025, and the winners are expected to be announced in April.
This is not the first time that Switzerland has dealt with historical ammunition.
In 2020, it was reported that an estimated 3,500 tons of explosives stored in a depot had to be removed, forcing residents of the village of Mitholz to leave their homes. In 1947, an estimated 7,000 tons of explosives stored in the depot detonated, killing nine people and causing extensive damage to the village.
